September 27th, 2018

Post date: October 5, 2018

We had a great meeting last week at Dysarts.  5 of us showed up: Mike & Jane, Lauren, Erin and myself.  After personal chit/chat and check in, we got started right off on the topic of being interrupted and/or having people complete your sentences for you.  We all agreed that we absolutely don't like it...no surprise there. We spend some time brainstorming ways to be just tell the listener "to stop it" and ways to be more assertive in conversations.  It was helpful to hear Jane's perspective of someone who doesn't stutter!!  So although she knows she shouldn't do it... she slips up and it happens.   But when it does, she feels that mostly it's because (since she's known Mike for so long she really does think she knows what he's going to say) she feels she wants to  "agree with him" by stating what he's going to say... sort of like showing that you're on the same page and thinking the same thing!

The whole topic of being assertive, then reminded me of the Self-Acceptance/Advocacy  Meeting Topic  Resource that was recently distributed to us by the RCCs.  I had it with me and we spent the rest of the meeting, taking turns with the "situations" and brainstorming ways we would respond to the listener with "advocacy".  As another exercise, we also took the opposite role, and then discussed a "powerless" way to respond.

And...amazingly, thanks to Mike's initiative, we set up the next meeting date!!  SO.... OUR NEXT NSA-MAINE MEETING WILL BE MONDAY, OCTOBER 22nd., 6:30 - 8:00 at Dysarts Truckstop Restaurant.   For a topic,  I mentioned to this group the movie discussion topic that we talked about in August, but didn't have the movie clip to show.  Erin had the brilliant idea, to send the link to everyone ahead of time to watch... it's an 18 min video clip.  All we would need to do it watch it BEFORE the meeting, and then come to the meeting ready to discuss them!!  GREAT IDEA, FOLKS!  That's what we will do.    I will send you all  another email with the discussion topic questions and the video link in the email.